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Family Preparedness Plans Must Include Pets
IEMA, local emergency management agencies to focus on pet preparedness throughout June
SPRINGFIELD – According to a recent survey by the American Pet Products Association, 65 percent of U.S. households include at least one pet. If your family includes a dog, cat, hamster or other furry, feathered or scaly friends, don’t forget to include their unique needs in your home emergency plans.
Throughout the month of June, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and local emergency management agencies will highlight the importance of emergency preparedness for pets.
“Pets are beloved members of many families these days,” said IEMA Director James K. Joseph. “That’s why it’s so important to include your pet’s needs when developing your family emergency plan and stocking your emergency supply kit.”
Joseph said home emergency supply kits for people should include a three-day supply of such items as food, water, first aid kit, weather alert radio, flashlights, spare batteries and other items. Pet owners should also have a pet preparedness kit stocked with items such as:
• At least a three-day supply of food and water
• Extra supplies of pet medicines
• Copies of pet registration, vaccinations and other important documents
• Photo of your pet in case you are separated during an emergency
• Collar with ID tag, harness or leash
• Crate or other pet carrier in case of evacuation
• Pet litter and box, newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags and household chlorine bleach for sanitation
• Toys, treats or other familiar items to reduce your pet’s stress during the emergency
A disaster may require you to evacuate your home, sometimes with little notice. It’s important to take pets with you, as an evacuation could last several days, even weeks, and your pets likely cannot survive without care. Plan now for places you and your pets can stay following an evacuation, as many public shelters do not allow animals inside.
It’s also important to have a back-up emergency plan in case you can’t care for or evacuate your animals yourself. Talk to neighbors, friends and family to make sure someone is available to care for or evacuate your pets if you are unable to do so.
Additional pet preparedness and general emergency preparedness information is available on the Ready Illinois website at www.Ready.Illinois.gov, the Ready Illinois Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ReadyIllinois and on Twitter at Twitter.com/ReadyIllinois.
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IEMA Highlights Preparedness for People
with Access and Functional Needs in May
Ready Illinois website offers emergency preparedness tips for people
with functional needs and their caregivers
SPRINGFIELD – The minutes and hours following a disaster can be scary and stressful for anyone. Emergency preparedness, such as a home emergency supply kit and a plan for how family members will communicate in a disaster, can ease post-disaster stress. For households with members who have disabilities, functional needs or may need assistance during an emergency, disaster preparedness can be a matter of life or death.
Throughout May, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and local emergency management agencies will highlight the importance of disaster preparedness for people with functional and access needs.
“Illinois is susceptible to many types of hazards, such as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, floods, and ice storms, that can create dangerous situations, particularly for those who may need some type of assistance,” said IEMA Director James K. Joseph. “We have information that can help people and their caregivers take actions to help them stay safe during and after a disaster.”
Joseph said the Ready Illinois website offers a guidebook with preparedness tips for people with visual, cognitive or mobility impairments; people who are deaf or hard of hearing; those who utilize service animals or life support systems; and senior citizens. The guide, Emergency Preparedness Tips for Those with Functional Needs, is available at www.Ready.Illinois.gov.
For each functional need, the guidebook provides a list of supplemental items for a disaster kit, tips on developing an emergency plan, suggestions on how to be better informed about community emergency planning and a checklist of preparedness activities.
The Ready Illinois website also offers more than two dozen preparedness videos in American Sign Language on such topics as what to do before, during and after tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flooding, how to build an emergency supply kit, and what to do if you’re instructed to evacuate.
The videos were developed in collaboration with the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission.
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FEMA Launches New Preparedness Feature to Smartphone App
FEMA recently launched a new feature to its free smartphone app that will enable users to receive push notifications to their devices to remind them to take important steps to prepare their homes and families for disasters. The reminder feature allows users to receive pre-scheduled safety and preparedness tips, including testing smoke alarms, practicing a fire escape plan, updating emergency kits and replacing smoke alarm batteries.
The app also provides a customizable checklist of emergency supplies, maps of open shelters and open recovery centers, and tips on how to survive natural and manmade disasters. The FEMA app offers a feature that enables users to receive push notifications of weather alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations across the nation.
The latest version of the FEMA app is available for free in the App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices. Users who already have the app downloaded on their device should download the latest update for the reminder alerts feature to take effect. The reminders are available in English and Spanish and are located in the “Prepare” section of the FEMA App.
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IEMA Reminds People About Weather Alert Radio Contest
Tuesday night tornadoes highlight need for warning devices
SPRINGFIELD – Nearly 50 weather warnings were issued Tuesday evening across the northern half of Illinois, including 19 tornado warnings. Several tornado touchdowns were reported, resulting in damage to dozens of structures. Fortunately, it appears no serious injuries or deaths resulted from the storms.
James K. Joseph, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), said yesterday’s severe weather outbreak serves as a vivid reminder that people need to have a way to receive severe weather warnings any time of the day or night, such as with a weather alert radio. Joseph added that Illinois residents currently have an opportunity to win one of 100 weather alert radios to be awarded through an online contest.
The ‘Weather Alert Radios Save Lives’ contest, sponsored by IEMA and the Illinois Emergency Services Management Association (IESMA), is available on the Ready Illinois website at www.Ready.Illinois.gov. Participants will be registered for a random drawing for the radios after reading information about weather alert radios and successfully completing a five-question quiz.
The contest runs through March 31. Winners will be announced in April. The radios were purchased by IESMA as part of an effort to increase the use of the devices in communities throughout Illinois.
“Weather alert radios can be a real lifesaver when tornadoes or severe weather strike,” said Joseph. “Just like a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector, a weather radio puts out a loud, distinctive tone that alerts you to the approaching hazard and give you time to get to a safe place.”
More information about severe weather preparedness is available at www.Ready.Illinois.gov.
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Search and Rescue Orientation
March 10, 2016
Discover the thrill of saving someone’s life. Well, it may not always be that dramatic but you can certainly make a difference. If you love the outdoors and want to make a difference in your community, join the Champaign County Search and Rescue (SAR) team. An informational meeting will be held Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 6:00 pm at the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) Training Center, 1701 E. Main St, Urbana. You must be at least 18 years old and able to pass a background check, but do not need to live in Champaign County.
Searchers are called to find missing persons, often elderly people with dementia or children. Trained searchers are two to four times more likely to locate a missing subject than someone without training. The team has monthly instructional meetings discussing everything from how to use maps and compasses to the behavior different types of subjects display when they are lost. There are regular outdoor exercises to hone search skills and to practice the management of a scene.
Discover the exciting world of Search and Rescue and how you can fit in. If you have questions call 217-384-3826 or email
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